Glove.



.UNITED STATES. PATENT onirica.v

.romav HADFIELD, or

AKRON, OHIO, ASSIG'NOR TO THE HAIDFIELD RUBBER COMPANY, OF AKRON, OHIO,.A CORPORATION OF OHIO,

GLOVE.

Application led .Tune 13, 1912. Serial No. 703,536.

ToaZZ 'whom t ma?) concern Be it known that I, JOHN Haumann, a citizenof the United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit andState of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Grloves,v ofvwhich the follow ing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvementsin Vgloves, especially rubbergloves, and the object thereof is, broadly speaking, to provide a gloveso constructed that ready fiexion of the fingers and thumb of the useris possible without restraint or tensionA being imposed by the`stretching of the gloves when bend ing ortiexing the fingers. j

-Briefly, gloves, especially rubber gloves manufactured for physiciansand surgeons -use are constructed upon forms with the fingers of theform extended, and obviously, the glove produced thereon is an exactreplica of this form and hence, the Gloves themselves are provided withnormally-extended finger-portions. As these gloves are usually made,especially in the case of physi- .cians and surgeons gloves, `so as tofit the hand approximately snugly, to constitute a `reasonably perfectfit for the hand of the wearer when the lingers areV extended, but

-when the fingers are flexed or bent inwardly to grasp an object, suchas a surgical instrument, the upper portions of the glove across the'back of the hand and over the backs of the fingers are stretched anddrawn taut, requiring an effort on the part ofthe user or wearer to fiexhis fingers, thereby stretching the portions of the gloves which coverthe balls of the fingers sufficiently to put a tension on thoseportions, thereby straining the hand and dulling the sense of touch ofthe finger tips which reduces the freedom of movement and sensitivenessof the hand covered by the ordinary glove to a considerable degree. l

In view of the foregoing, it 1s a primary object of this invention toprovide a glove normally constructed with the finger-sin the' be usedwith bulged or outwardly-projecting portions which lie opposite but outof contact with the opposing portions of the hand vto provide a certainamount of slackness at those points adjacent tothe-fingers iSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 19, 1914.

and joints to permit the ready movement of the fingers and thumb withoutimposing their sensitiveness with the foregoing and other Objcis inreference numeral 1 denotes the glove preferably of rubber andpreferably produced by what is known as the dipping process, although itis obvious that gloves constructedof other material and' by othermethods than bythe dipping method are entirely within the scope of thisinvention. The glove will be customarily provided with projections atthe points which normally cover the knuckles 2 and joints 3 of the humanhand, so that there will bein the finished product an excess of materialat these points forming permanently outwardly-bulged portions designatedin the drawing by thereference numeral 4. These outwardly-bulgedportions will beof a size to permit free flexion of the fingers when thefingers are bent to grasp an object such, for instance, as a surgicalinstrument.

such. a stress or tension on them as to impair It will be obvious thatthe glove is bestv constructed on a. form having the finger portionsextended as shown in the drawing, and with the bulges lying opposite to,but out of contact with those port-ions of the hands where the jointsand knuckles are located and, of course, this refers equally well to thethumb portion of the glove.

It will be obvious that when a glove constructed in accordance with thisinvention is withdrawn from the form it will have a permanently setformand the excessive material which provides the buleorl portions 4 willremain equally permanen-. so much so that. when used on the hand, it maybe bent freely Without stretching the finger portions, thereby enablingthe fingers to be flexed or bent at will Without`stretching the coveringof uniform thickness having over the knuckles the balls of theingers',/Withy the result that bulged portions adapted to eliminatestress the material over the balls f the lingers is about the knucklesWhen the hand is closed. not strained sufficiently to decrease the sen-In testimony-whereof I have hereunto set 5` sitiveness of the lingers,thereby largely my hand in presence of two subscribingwit- 15 enhancingthe value of the glove in use nesses.

^ especially in delicate surgical operations JOHN HADFIEL).

Where senstiveness is greatly needed. 'VVitnessesz I'claim: C. E.HUMPHREY,.

10 A seamless rubber glove of substantially A. L. MCCLINTOCK.

